Visit the National Yiddish Book Center

Opened in 1997, the headquarters of the National Yiddish Book Center is a lebedike velt – a lively world full of books, people, programs and exhibitions. Here’s what to expect when you arrive.

Cross a wooden foot bridge to the main entrance, step through the foyer and emerge into the Great Hall: a light-filled gathering place with a high ceiling recalling the interiors of the old wooden synagogues of Russia and Poland. Standing there, overlooking a sea of books, you’ll see at a glance the scope of the entire building: the expanse of book stacks below, the Theater beyond, our permanent exhibitions and Online Resource Center to the left, and the Reading Library and English-language Bookstore to the right. You’ll also find a "Salon," where you can relax, enjoy a glezl tey (a glass of tea) or a cup of coffee while you enjoy a brief but fascinating orientation film directed by the award-winning filmmaker Sam Ball. Our docents are always on hand to welcome you in person, answer your questions and make you feel at home.

A sea of books

• The Book Repository. This open space at the center of the building houses our core collection of 120,000 Yiddish books, along with 150,000 folios of rare Yiddish and Hebrew sheet music. The remaining 90% of our collection is stored in a nearby warehouse.
• Book Processing Center. Here, directly below the Great Hall, book orders arrive by fax, phone, e-mail and post. Watch from above as staff members and interns pull books, prepare computer invoices, and ship orders to students, scholars and librarians around the world.
• Shipping and Receiving Section. At the far end of Repository is the Shipping and Receiving Section, where incoming boxes from all over the world pass through x-ray screening before being opened and loaded onto carts for sorting.
• Main Concourse. A wide, skylit concourse runs the full length of the Book Repository. Here staff members and interns sort through heavily laden carts of books: almost daily we discover rare and unusual volumes, which sometimes turn out to be the last extant copies in the world.
• Steven Spielberg Digital Yiddish Library. In two large workshops along the east side of the Repository the staff of our Digital Yiddish Library are at work: cataloging, checking proofs, and consulting with libraries and schools. At other computers we maintain local records, generate published catalogs, and update our constantly expanding online catalog.

Exhibitions that enlighten and explain

The Exhibit Halls: "A Portable Homeland" – The Story of Modern Yiddish Literature

• "Tsvishn tsvey veltn -- Between Two Worlds." In the first of three halls, visitors learn about the breakdown of traditional Jewish life in Eastern Europe in the second half of the nineteenth century and the subsequent emergence of serious, secular Yiddish writing. The display traces the evolution of Jewish literature from the Torah, Talmud and other traditional Hebrew and Aramaic texts to works by Mendele Moykher Sforim, Sholem Aleichem and I. L. Peretz – the three "classical" writers who brought modern Yiddish literature to birth.
• "Hofenung un shrek -- -Hope and Fear." In our second hall we explore the social and political ferment that swept through Eastern Europe in the first half of the twentieth century, and the remarkable literature it produced. Our displays reflect both the revolutionary optimism and the dark forebodings of the period: literary society in Warsaw and Vilna, shattered promises in the Soviet Union, the heroism of Yiddish writers and scholars who risked their lives to chronicle the Nazi occupation, and, finally, the post-War "Memorial Volumes" that chronicled a world that had been destroyed.
• "Mazl tov, mir zenen shoyn in Amerike -- Mazl Tov, We’re in America Now!" Our third exhibition hall depicts the tumultuous rise and fall of Yiddish literature in America -- from "bards of the sweatshop" to the Introspectivists of Second Avenue cafeterias; from Sholem Asch and Isaac Bashevis Singer to those who followed in English: Anzia Yezierska, Lenny Bruce, Philip Roth and many more. Among other authentic American artifacts is our 4,500-pound Yiddish Linotype, the last of its kind in the world.
• The Irwin and Lenore Gerson Gallery. The south wall of the long ramp running from the Visitors Center to the Theater is set aside for rotating exhibits of contemporary Jewish art and photography. Many items are available for sale. For current and upcoming shows, please click here.
• "Discoveries." At the top of the ramp, just outside the Library, is a changing display of memorabilia and ephemera – the letters, postcards, personal photographs, Yiddish theater tickets and other items that we discover while unpacking incoming boxes of Yiddish books.
• Yiddish Arts. Not all our exhibits focus on books. On a balcony level overlooking the Theater, we’ve set aside galleries for the performing and spoken arts, including Yiddish film, music and theater. You can even listen to original recordings of vintage Yiddish radio shows from the 1930s and 40s (you don’t need to know Yiddish to enjoy them)!

A theater, reading room, resource center and more

Outside, just past the Orientation Kiosk, begins the path to our Yiddish Writers Garden, where we commemorate 120 of the greatest Yiddish writers. With a pond, perennial gardens, and a commanding view of the nearby mountains, this is the perfect spot for conversation and contemplation. Our apple orchard, pine grove and a small woodland pond offer additional areas to picnic, stroll or relax. At the end of the garden path is the Amphitheater, an outdoor performance space perfect for picnics, concerts, and special events. The Storytelling Courtyard is an outdoor gathering spot especially for children.
Finally, if you want to take away a tangible memento of your visit, be sure to stop in our Bookstore, where you’ll find thousands of title of Jewish interest. The Bookstore also features gifts and souvenirs: everything from tapes, aprons and t-shirts to hand-made pottery and original Jewish art. Enjoy – and come back soon!